Works of 'world's worst poet' sold at auction
Last Updated: Friday, May 16, 2008 | 3:59 PM ET
CBC News
A collection of 35 poems by William Topaz McGonagall, often referred to as the "world's worst poet" in the English language, has sold for $12,900 Cdn at an auction in Edinburgh.
The collection, self-published by McGonagall, was sold by Lyon & Turnbull auctioneers Friday, with the buyer choosing to remain anonymous — perhaps with good reason.
The works, described as having poor vocabulary and bad rhyming, tackle topics from a theatre fire to Britain's imperial wars to women's suffrage.
In fact, the selling price outpaced that of a set of inscribed Harry Potter books by fellow Scottish scribe J.K. Rowling, which fetched about $12,100 at the same event.
McGonagall was a weaver in Dundee, Scotland who often recited his works on the street and tried to sell them. He was ridiculed during his lifetime, keeping an umbrella nearby for protection against hurled eggs and vegetables.
One of his poems attests to the routine derision he experienced:
"Every morning when I go out/The ignorant rabble they do shout/There goes Mad McGonagall!"
"Everyone knows him as the world's worst poet, but we are still talking about him today and he's attracted an international audience," said Alex Dove, books specialist at Lyon & Turnbull.
"He's appreciated because he's comedic, he's got bad vocabulary and the rhyme is cringeworthy."
McGonagall, who died in 1902, was always proud of his work, despite the bad reception. He even produced a short autobiography, two copies of which were created and are inscribed with this tribute: "dedicated to himself, knowing none greater."
In fact the poet's life was blazed across the big screen in a 1974 movie, The Great McGonagall with comedian Spike Milligan in the title role and co-starring Peter Sellers as Queen Victoria.
His most infamous poem is called The Tay Bridge Disaster (1879), which recalled the tragedy in which 75 people died.
"So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay/Until it was about midway/Then the central girders with a crash gave way/And down went the train and passengers into the Tay."
